In a paper published in the IIMS Journal of Management Studies recently, Prof Deepa Sethi said doctors need formal training in communication to help patients recover faster. “Non-verbal communication would enhance a doctor’s involvement with her/his patient and, in a shorter time, bring about a positive response to their treatment,’’ she said.

She began the study a year ago when, on a visit to a hospital in Calicut, she found that queues outside certain clinics were longer. “Patients said they liked it that their doctor looked them in the eye. Some complained against doctors with whom their only contact was through a stethoscope,’’ she said.

“Doctors themselves felt they hadn’t got training in soft skills at college and this affected their interactions,’’ she said after interviewing several.

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A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao passed the order while acting on a PIL filed by Delhi-based dermatologist Zaheer Ahmed who complained that lakhs of medicines were being sold on the internet every day without much regulation, posing a huge risk to patients and doctors alike.